LEBIODA EDGES OUT A ONE-STROKE LEAD IN SECOND ROUND AT CALLAWAY GARDENS
Szeryk holds outright lead in Girls Division at Pine Mountain, Ga.
PINE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — Hank Lebioda of Winter Springs, Fla., surged into the Boys Division lead Wednesday at the Junior All-Star at Callaway Gardens after finishing his first two rounds at 4-over-par 148. Leading the Girls Division at 7-over-par 151 is Maddie Szeryk of Allen, Texas.
Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the Junior All-Star at Callaway Gardens is a 54-hole tournament at Callaway Gardens — Mountain View Course. The field is made up of 81 top juniors from 17 states and Colombia. The Boys Division is playing the course at 6,967 yards and the Girls Division is playing at 5,952 yards.
Lebioda leads the Boys Division by one stroke after carding a 3-over-par 75 in the second round. After a bogey and a double-bogey on his first four holes, Lebioda rebounded to play his remaining holes at even-par.
“Once I finally hit a fairway, I started hitting greens and was able to par out,” Lebioda said. “Tomorrow I want to hit my irons well and give myself birdie chances.”
Behind Lebioda are three players tied for second at 5-over-par 149, including Wade Chen of Orlando, Fla., first-round leader Taylor McCullum of Hoover, Ala., and Michael Hines of Acworth, Ga. Tied for fifth at 6-over-par 150 are local-area player Jimmy Beck of Columbus, Ga., and JD Tomlinson of Gainesville, Fla.
Szeryk came out of the gates hot playing her first seven holes 3-under-par en route to a 2-over-par 74. Szeryk wished she could have finished her round at that pace.
“I made a lot of putts today, I had a couple of three-putts yesterday,” Szeryk said. “I feel pretty good about tomorrow, I just need to keep it in the fairway and keep it consistent.”
Tied for second in the Girls Division are Lakareber Abe of Angleton, Texas, and Amira Alexander of Alpharetta, Ga. Both girls currently sit at 9-over-par 153, just two shots off the pace.
The American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. The AJGA, the largest Association of its kind, has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 5,000 junior golfers from 50 states and 25 foreign countries.
Titleist, the AJGA's National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association's success since 1989. Rolex Watch USA, which is in its third decade of AJGA support, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004. In 2007, after 12 years of support, Polo Ralph Lauren became the AJGA's second Premier Partner.
AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. More than 200 former AJGA juniors currently play on the PGA and LPGA Tours and have compiled more than 350 wins. AJGA alumni include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink, Davis Love III, Cristie Kerr, Pat Hurst, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel and Julieta Granada.
The Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Series is a collection of eleven events specifically designed for boys and girls ages 12-15 and presents opportunities for younger members to develop their skills and earn entry into Open tournaments. Juniors are limited to a maximum combination of five AJGA Open and Junior All-Star Series events during a calendar year. The series concludes with the Junior All-Star Invitational over Columbus Day weekend for winners and top finishers in the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Series events.
Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy, a full-time junior golf training and development program, enters its first year as an Official Partner of the AJGA. The partnership features an endowment of an Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant and the naming rights to the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Series, which will provide juniors access to national competitive golf opportunities.
Final round tee times will run from 7:45 — 9:42 a.m. off the Nos. 1 and 10 tees, Thursday, June 4. For more information contact tournament headquarters at 678-571-7994.
# AJGA #
|
